Watching the NCAA Tournament the past few weeks has been very entertaining. I always enjoy the month of March because I know there will be good basketball on every weekend.
Even my bracket is still hanging tough, despite the fact that Villanova and Michigan State crashed the party. The championship between North Carolina and Connecticut is still in order.
However, what I want to touch on deals with what has been the best team of the last 14 years. Obviously there is Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and UConn, but I bring you another option. The team is neither from the Big East or the ACC. It’s from the Big Ten and has over the years compiled one of the most impressive resumes out of any of the aforementioned teams.
That team is Michigan State. Year in and year out I underestimate the Big Ten, and with the exception of when Greg Oden carried Ohio State to the championship game, the conference has been pretty low-key compared to the power conferences on the East Coast. And because of the type of basketball the conference plays, I always find myself picking other teams to beat Michigan State come tournament time.
But every year, the Spartans prove me wrong. They keep racking up wins and making it deep into the tournament. This year is no exception. Can anyone say they really picked the Spartans to beat Louisville? Honestly? But with this year’s Final Four appearance in Detroit, which is pretty much their backyard, head coach Tom Izzo has proven once again that the Spartans should be considered just as good as Duke and North Carolina.
Check out the numbers. Izzo in his 14 years at Michigan State since 1995 has gone 335-136. In that time the team has gone to 12 NCAA Tournaments and five Final Fours. The only team that has more Final Four appearances since Izzo took over at Michigan State is North Carolina, with seven.
Duke has three, Kansas has three and UConn has three. UCLA is second with four appearances since 1995.
Kind of surprising, huh? The numbers blew me away because all you ever hear about on ESPN is about how good the Big East and the ACC are. But here’s a team from Big Ten country doing things better then all those teams. Consistently.
Michigan State went to three straight Final Fours from 1999-2001. Now the Spartans are back again, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them knock off UConn on Saturday. They made it to the championship game in 2005, where they lost to North Carolina – the only team since 1995 that has done better than them.
Izzo’s winning percentage is also pretty incredible in the tournament. He is third all-time with a .750 percentage, behind only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Billy Donovan of Florida.
But I guess none of this should be all that surprising if you have been paying attention to who the big-time NCAA coaches are. Coaches have become so successful that they’ve become household names: Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Izzo and John Calipari just to name a few. They have made winning look easy and year after year they make it deep into the tournament. In the changing landscape of NCAA basketball, with players and coaches moving all over the place, these guys have been able to be consistent and at least two of the fraternity of super-coaches always makes the Final Four.
This year it’s Calhoun, Williams and Izzo. Villanova head coach Jay Wright is entering his first Final Four, but with the berth he has now entered a select group.
Whatever way this year’s Final Four plays out, I’ll be pleased. All four teams are extremely good, and all the games should be entertaining. I still think UConn and UNC are going to advance to the championship game, but from now on I will never underestimate the blue-collar Spartans.
[email protected]